DES MOINES, Iowa – Mvskoke citizen Soloman Hill headed to Iowa in July to compete at the 2025 National Senior Games Association (NSGA) in two basketball skills events. The national competition hosts elders from all over the United States and involves competitions in a number of sports events. Hill, at 65 years old, was the only MCN citizen in his age group that competed in the basketball skills events, competing in both the three-point and free-throwing competitions.
Hill started competing in 2016 after a double knee replacement. According to Hill, he pushes to play because it keeps him fit and active, and he likes the feel of competition.
Hill has competed in the MCN Elder Games, the Seminole Nation Senior Games, and Oklahoma Senior Games.
Hill decided he wanted to compete in the NSGA after attending this year’s OSG in Yukon. Initially he hadn’t thought about the national games, but with the help of his youngest daughter he later registered for the competitions.
Prior to the national games, Hill told Mvskoke Media he was looking forward to the competition. “I just want to see how I compete on a National level, next level. Because I think I’m the only one from Oklahoma in my age group competing up there and I think it’s around 40 in the free-throw contest and about 35 in the three-point contest,” Hill said.
Hill shared that he always tries his best in every competition, and he also enjoys meeting other people at the events. During the NSGA, Hill met a competitor from Chicago who asked about his race. “He asked me, ‘Are you Indigenious?’ and I said ‘yes I’m Native American’, we talked for quite awhile,” Hill shared. “Some of the restaurants we ate at, I could tell they never had seen a Native American there before.”
Hill shared advice from a competitor he met at the OSG, who had also played at the World Senior Games. The 80 year old gave Hill some wisdom, “He said ‘you’re only as old as you feel.’ He said ‘just keep on practicing. That kind of keeps you fit,’” he said.
When practicing for these events, Hill shoots baskets every day. He has both 9-feet and 11-feet basketball goals; he alternates between them two. Hill also practices at nearby Gypsy Public School on their regulation size 10-feet goal.
“I practice on a different level of heights so I can kind of get the feel of different heights on the basketball goal,” Hill said.
For the NSGA basketball skills event, competitors in the three-point shot contest are allowed 15 shots. Competitors in the free-throw contest are allowed 25 shots. The competitor who makes the most shots wins the game.
Hill shared he has made 26 free-throws in a row before. For the competition, his nerves took over until he found his rhythm shooting- he made 19 baskets. While he didn’t place in the top three, he said that he had a ton of fun and thinks it’s something to cross off his bucket list.
While Hill won’t be competing anymore this year, he did share what he would need to do to prepare. “If I can, I have to practice more and get a routine. You have to have a routine, to always shoot consistently,” Hill said.
What he enjoys most is seeing how far he can go, especially in the competition level. “It was an honor to even compete within that type of level and I liked it a lot,” Hill said.
